


Helianthus

by doctorbeam



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Call Call Call! (Music Video), Biker Lee Seokmin, Florist Boo Seungkwan, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mechanic Kim Mingyu, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Misunderstandings, POV Switches, Rated T for language, Seungcheol and Hansol are brothers, Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Unrequited Love, biker gang / flowershop au kind of, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2019-09-02 08:48:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16783630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctorbeam/pseuds/doctorbeam
Summary: Jihoon is in the hospital, Soonyoung is stressed, and Seokmin is just trying to keep the peace.Seungkwan helps run his parents’ flower shop and Hansol is very tired.It starts with a bouquet and there’s a few black eyes along the way.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A Christmas present for my dear sweet Sven. Please keep inspiring me.
> 
> Sven has the idea for the whole plot and I have quite a few LINE screenshots to prove it. She wrote the beginning of the story as well and I wanted to finish it for her. For you, bean.

“Are you sure you want to get him flowers?”

“Yes.”

  
“You’re sure that’s what Jihoon wants?”

  
“Yes.”

Seokmin rolled his eyes and unclasped his helmet before getting off his bike. No matter what he said, Soonyoung was adamant not to listen to him. Trying to convince Soonyoung was pointless, but Seokmin would be an awful friend if he didn’t at least try. He sighed. “Well, I think-“

  
“I don’t remember asking for your opinion, Seokmin.” Soonyoung cut him off, making them both a little bit more annoyed.

  
“Why don’t you just visit him in hospital? I’m pretty sure- “

  
“Stop.” Soonyoung interrupted again.

  
Seokmin huffed, “I’m just saying, Jihoon would appreciate your presence more than a present your broke ass can’t even afford. I highly doubt he likes flowers, anyway.”

  
“Well, he does”, was Soonyoung’s flippant answer and with that he thrusted his helmet at Seokmin’s chest, who struggled to catch it before it hit the ground. Soonyoung walked off towards the flower shop, determined, only to stop just short before making it there. Seokmin followed close behind, watching as his friend took a deep breath.

  
“You didn’t see him, Seok. I may have been drunk and fucking useless that day, but I remember all of it. If I had kept my fucking mouth shut like he asked me to-” Soonyoung swallowed and shook his head. “He’s hurt because of me. Do you know what that feels like?” he turned around to stare Seokmin dead in the eye. It made Seokmin’s skin crawl uncomfortably. After a moment of silence, Soonyoung’s shoulders sagged and the angry expression on his face turned into a look of regret. “He probably doesn’t even want to see me right now. He told me it wasn’t worth it. He told me not to start a fight and now he’s in hospital because I didn’t listen. You have no idea what that feels like. I thought they’d kill him. Hell, they might have if Hao and Jun hadn’t shown up when they did. I was terrified. I still am. I could have gotten him killed, Seok.”

  
“Jihoon wouldn’t have let that happen, you know,” Seokmin said softly. Soonyoung nodded absentmindedly as he sulked.

A week prior, Soonyoung had invited his dance crew out for drinks. As always, Jihoon had tagged along even though he never particularly seemed interested in drinking or spending time with the boys. But he liked hanging out with Soonyoung, hence coming along frequently. The night had been going fine until Soonyoung had caught the attention of another group of guys across the bar. Soonyoung was too drunk to control his mouth even though Jihoon had tried to get him to settle down. He ended up pissing them off anyway, earning a black and blue shiner on his eye. Once the tussle started, Jihoon jumped in to save Soonyoung. It was an all out brawl that had to be broken up by Jun, Minghao and bar security. Chan called the cops and an ambulance, seeing as Soonyoung was unconscious and Jihoon was in even worse condition. He held his own though, the others guys being handcuffed at the bar.

“I’m just scared he hates me. So you gotta take the bouquet to him. Test the waters, you know?” Soonyoung finally said before pushing the door open to the flower shop.

They were greeted by cool air tinged with a fragrant aroma. Seokmin smiled to himself, immediately in awe of the store. It was larger than it looked from the outside; the counter stood right in the center of the shop and was surrounded by different decorations and greenery. “I didn’t even realize this place was here. We’re across the street all the time at the cafe.” Seokmin said. Soonyoung hummed in response.

Seokmin felt his annoyance with Soonyoung melt away as he breathed in the flora. He always loved the smell of the flowers his mother would always keep fresh in his childhood kitchen. Her favorite had been peonies but he was always a big fan of the sunflowers. He peeked around the counter to browse as Soonyoung traveled right up to it to ask for help.

He wandered, making various stops to gawk at the springtime displays, until he found the sunflowers. They were being cared for by a boy in a long green apron and the softest looking blond hair Seokmin had ever seen. The boy turned and sent a genuine looking smile to Seokmin, accentuating his round cheeks. Seokmin melted. “Can I help you?” the worker asked.

“My friend is buying, I was just looking for my favorite… to, uh, look at. It’s the sunflowers, so,” Seokmin explained before laughing nervously. The worker took a step forward, biting his lip. Seokmin could read his nametag - _Seungkwan -_ and smiled bright. There was a new brush of color on Seungkwan’s cheeks as he motioned for Seokmin to go to the sunflowers. “Thank you, Seungkwan!”

“Y-you’re welcome!” he spluttered before briskly walking towards the back room that Seokmin hadn’t noticed before. Seokmin swallowed hard, trying to ignore his own blushing face. He waited 0.2 seconds before practically running to meet Soonyoung at the register.

The other worker - _Hansol_ \- according to his nametag, was ringing Soonyoung up for the bouquet of multicolored carnations that was resting on the counter, wrapped nicely in paper and ribbon.

“He said carnations are good for apologies,” Soonyoung mumbled to him.

“I think I just met the love of my life,” Seokmin mumbled back, earning a swift punch to the arm. “You’re lucky you already have a black eye or else I’d give you one myself.”

“Shut up Seok.” He replied, both smiling.

UuHansol quirked an eyebrow, but just took Soonyoung’s money and put it in the register. “Thank you, have a good day.”

“Thank you, come back again soon!” a voice called from the back room and Seokmin almost tripped over his own feet on his way out.

“Dear lord.” Soonyoung rolled his eyes.

* * *

Jihoon’s head jerked to the door upon hearing the knock. He sunk back down into bed when he saw Seokmin was alone. “Where’s Soonyoung?”

“Oh don’t get dejected on my account,” Seokmin teased. “He… can’t make it. But he wanted me to bring these to you,” he continued, holding up the flowers. Seokmin couldn’t help but noticing Jihoon’s sad eyes widening at the sight. He held his good arm out, making him look like a kid in the hospital bed with his matching pout on his face. Seokmin placed the bouquet gently in Jihoon’s scraped palm. It was quiet for a moment.

“If you tell anyone I like flowers, I’ll kill you. It took ages to build up this tough demeanor,” Jihoon whispered to Seokmin, making him chuckle.

“It’s kinda hard to hide you’re a big softy when you look like a scowling baby,” Seokmin teased, pulling up the extra chair next to Jihoon’s bed. He was unexpectedly greeted with a pillow to the face once Jihoon put his bouquet to the side delicately.

“If I wasn’t stuck in this bed, I’d kick your ass,” he scowled.

“Oh, I have no doubt. But I’m taking full advantage of this unfortunate situation. What’s the damage, anyway?” Seokmin said, resting his chin on his hand. He stayed quiet while Jihoon took a deep breath. He wanted to give his friend the time he needed.

“Well, I pretty much broke my entire right hand,” he started by holding up his casted arm weakly, “and then they got a few of my ribs and bruised the hell out of the rest of me. They wanted to keep me here to monitor in observation for a little bit. A few days, probably,” he sighed. Seokmin’s bright smile did little to cheer up Jihoon. He fiddled with the ribbon for a moment before he spoke again, voice cracking slightly, “Seok, where is Soonyoung?”

“He’s afraid you hate him. I couldn’t convince him--”

“I’d never hate him.”

“I know.”

“He won’t answer my texts, either, Seok.”

“What?” Seokmin asked, louder than he intended. “Okay. That’s crazy. I need to go talk to him,” he continued as he got right back up off his seat and turned to the door. Jihoon stopped him with a sigh. “What?”

“Don’t force him. Just let him know… I miss him? I guess?” Jihoon said, not making eye contact. Seokmin couldn’t help but smile softly at him; he really was uncharacteristically gentle in that moment.

“I’ll tell him,” Seokmin replies just as gentle right before there was a knock on the door and Jisoo entered.

“Hey guys,” Jisoo started, pulling out his blood pressure cuff from his scrubs pocket, “time for vitals, Jihoon.” Jihoon just nodded and let Jisoo take his good wrist. “Oh, Seokmin did you bring flowers?” He asked with a smirk.

“I’m just the delivery man,” Seokmin laughed, knowing Jisoo could assume who they were from. “How are you? I feel like I’ve only seen you a few times since uni.”

“Shifts are long,” Jisoo answered, shrugging, before taking Jihoon’s chart and writing down some numbers. “Jeonghan and I just moved in together, too, so he keeps me occupied.”

“You _dog_ ,” Jihoon interjected.

“Not like that, you nasty,” he chuckled. Jisoo looked again at the cuff, his smile disappearing. “Jihoon, your blood pressure is a bit low, how are you feeling?”

“I feel fine. Besides the pain in my hand and ribs obviously,” Jihoon answered, brow furrowed.

“Any lightheadedness?”

“No, not really.”

Seokmin watched the interaction back and forth, biting his lip. Soonyoung should have been there.

“Let me know if you do feel faint, okay? I’ll update Dr. Kim and I’ll be back in a bit.” Jihoon just nodded and watched him go. Seokmin sat back down in his chair, not wanting to leave Jihoon alone. He pulled out his phone to send a quick text to Soonyoung.

_DK: The smol grump said he misses you. At least text him back you mopey ass. He’s your best friend._

_Hoshi: I thought you were my best friend_

_DK: we both know that’s not true_

The room’s quiet aura of buzzing lights and a softly beeping heart monitor was interrupted when Jihoon’s phone _ping_ ed with a notification. Seokmin rolled his eyes fondly at the small smile finding its way to Jihoon’s face.

* * *

“Hansol-”

“Seungkwan I swear to god if you bring up those guys again I’m going to walk out and you can close up the shop by yourself,” he said, interrupted his coworker. Seungkwan huffed and stayed quiet for a moment as he swept the floor.

“Okay but Hansol I swear,” Seungkwan started, only lasting 10 seconds without talking, making Hansol groan loudly, “that one guy came in and gave me the brightest smile I’ve ever seen. He just shined... he was so bright; he's like...” Seungkwan scrunched up his nose in consideration, making Hansol groan again.

“A sunflower?”

“YES! Exactly! And I showed him to **the sunflowers**! How perfect is that?”

“How much trouble would your parents get into if I murder you in their shop, you think?” Hansol answered, still closing up the register. Seungkwan scowled.

“They wouldn’t get in trouble, you would. Because you killed your best friend, you absolute curmudgeon. Can’t you just appease me?” he huffed, sweeping the same spot for the twentieth time.

“Seungkwan, I love you, but you have that ‘love at first sight’ with every other guy that comes in here,” he said, making Seungkwan frown. “And those guys rode up on motorcycles with their fancy leather jackets- who do they think they are?”

“Looks can be deceiving. You’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover you know. Your brother, _and_ his friends ride motorcycles, too.” Seungkwan grumbled.

“Kwannie, the guy buying the flowers had a black eye. Your sunflower boy threatened to punch him again, I heard it. They seemed like bad news. Now come on and finish sweeping, I’ll treat your to ice cream if you finish in the next five minutes,” Hansol bribed.

Seungkwan snorted out a laugh before he dramatically ran around the store with the broom, wailing about how he didn’t have enough time. He couldn’t help it if he smiled by the sunflowers on his lap around the store.


	2. Chapter 2

“You are the most ridiculous person I’ve ever met,” Seokmin started when he met Soonyoung downtown the next morning. “You sent him a meme while he laid helplessly in his hospital bed.” 

“Don’t make it sound bad! I was just trying to get back to normal, you know that’s our normal,” Soonyoung huffed, burying his hands deeper into his pockets.

“An Overwatch meme. Unbelievable,” Seokmin replied. “Listen, I’ll let you buy him the snacks he likes, but you have to deliver them yourself. You guys are dumb,” he teased as he pushed open the door to the store.

“Not yet, Seok. I’m apologizing through gifts first and then I’ll go once he’s buttered up. It’ll be better this way.”

Seokmin stopped walking and waited for Soonyoung to turn around quizzically. “Better or _easier_? I told you, he wants to see you. This is getting ridiculous,” he said, exasperated.

Soonyoung was quiet for a moment, face blank. “I’ll walk home. I’ll have Jun take the snacks,” he told Seokmin before turning back around and leaving Seokmin at the entrance of the store. He gaped after him, even after he turned down an aisle.

Seokmin’s jaw was clenched uncomfortably as he walked back out to the storefront. He took a deep breath, trying not to get frustrated. All of his friends were too stubborn. He glanced to his parked bike before turning towards the sidewalk. He wasn’t too far from the cafe that Chan worked at but he couldn’t help but let his mind also drift to the thought of the flower shop across that street. He remembered walking in and instantly receiving a form of aromatherapy from the bunches of flowers. It was a nice thought.

Quickly he found himself between the cafe and the flowershop, paused, and crossed the street.

When he walked through the glass door to the shop, he was greeted once again by the calming floral aroma and the jingle of the bell. He smiled gently as his tension slipped away from him, lingering at the same displays as the day before. He pulled out his phone, ready to call Soonyoung to apologise. It rang twice before he picked up.

“I’m sorry--”

“You didn’t deserve--”

They each let out an awkward puff of laughter after interrupting each other.

“Seok, I’m sorry. I’m just so stressed, I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

“I’m sorry, too. I just went for a walk to clear my head, I’ll be back soon. I can give you a ride home still.”

“Thanks. It’s just…”

“I know. We’ll talk more in a bit.” Seokmin finished, before hanging up. He smiled softly down at his phone. Soonyoung was just scared. For all the years Seokmin had known Soonyoung, he never was attached to anyone quite the same way he did with Jihoon. Despite the strong bond, it had to be terrifying to have done something that could possibly sever it.

“Can I help you- oh!” Seokmin jumped at the voice, too lost in thought. Seungkwan flashed a shy grin before continuing, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you! You were in yesterday, right?” Seokmin nodded. “Already in need of another bouquet?” Seungkwan teased despite his pinkening cheeks.

“How about just a single flower; I’m in need of a carnation.” Seomin blurted.

“A popular choice among you and your friends.”

“Sure seems like it.” Seokmin replied, following Seungkwan to the counter after motioning his to do so. “Maybe we should stop doing things that require apology flowers.”

“That also might be a good idea,” Seungkwan laughed softly. “Do you have a color preference?”

“No, not particularly-“ Seokmin was cut off by bell of the door chiming and loud laughter following. Seokmin raised an eyebrow at the sight of three men in honest-to-god jumpsuits with a sort of black grime covering their hands, and one of the guys cheeks. Seokmin had to admit, the three were obviously mechanics of some sort, straight out of a drama it seemed.

“Hey guys!” Seungkwan greeted cheerfully, causing Seokmin to turn back to the florist, surprised. “Are you looking for Hansol?” The apparent leader of the crew smiled before holding up a colorful bento. Seokmin watched in confusion as Seungkwan rolled his eyes with a smile. “He’s in the back, pretending to study. HANSOL YOUR BROTHER IS HERE!”

Seokmin jumped at the sudden shout, making the the three jumpsuits laugh.

“Sorry, Seungkwan is just normally that loud,” the one with grease on his cheek said fondly as they sauntered up to the counter. Seokmin furrowed his brow, becoming increasingly uncomfortable by them.

“Shut it Mingyu, don’t frighten the customers!”

“Says the guy who just scared him half to death,” the leader joked. Seokmin eyed the Mingyu character as the other florist emerged from the back room. Seungkwan was getting teased but he looked at that Mingyu with stars in his eyes. “I snatched it before mom could have a fit. Stop forgetting your lunch, you dingus.”

“You didn’t have to come all the way here, Seungcheol, especially not with the lackeys,” Hansol responded, yet accepted the lunch with a bow.

“Yah! Respect your elders!” Mingyu shouted, making both Hansol and Seungkwan laugh. Until Hansol noticed Seokmin standing there as well, eyes narrowing in him.

“Can we help you?” Hansol asked.

“Oh, Seungkwan was just… ringing me up. Any color is fine.” Seokmin answered.

“Of course!” Seungkwan replied cheerfully. Seokmin couldn’t help but look to Mingyu as the others chattered. He was watching Seungkwan work with a soft smile. Seokmin nodded to himself. Seungkwan wasn’t available it seemed. He paid the blond with a smile and took his flower before gracefully making his exit.

He met Soonyoung back at the grocery store, plopping the carnation right in the lapel of Soonyoung’s leather jacket with a wide grin.

“You idiot,” Soonyoung told him with a matching smile. “You just wanted to go see the love of your life again.”

“Perhaps. But I got an apology flower out of it didn’t I? And I am sorry. I should respect your reasoning and I know you’ll go when you’re ready.”

“I’m just nervous. I’ll go soon, I promise. I know I should. I don’t want to lose him,” Soonyoung mumbled, running a shaky hand through his hair.

“I know. Take your time. I’ll talk to him again. Now gimme those snacks.”

* * *

“What was the sunflower guy doing here again?” Hansol asked as soon at the door to the shop closed behind him. Mingyu and Seungcheol looked to Hansol while Wonwoo just raised an eyebrow.

“It looked like he was just browsing at first.” Seungkwan answered with a smile.

“The flowers or the _florists_?” Seungcheol asked wickedly, causing Seungkwan to blush furiously.

“Cheol, don’t encourage him,” Hansol chided his brother.

“Why does it sound like you’re jealous, little man?” Seungcheol teased, elbowing him lightly.

“Like I would be jealous!” Hansol spluttered, making Seungkwan frown. “He was in here yesterday with his friend that talked about getting into fights. Had a shiner and everything.” Seungcheol just furrowed his brow.

“Relax, Sol. I was just joking around. Are you okay?” He asked, putting his hand in his brother’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I must just be hungry. You know, low blood sugar or something. Thanks again, but I have to go finish my homework,” Hansol replied as he shrugged off Seungcheol’s hand. “I’ll see you at home later.”

The other four watched as Hansol retreated to the back room. Seungkwan shifted uncomfortably in the tense air. “What was that about?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” Seungcheol responded easily, “he might just be stressed from school and I just hit a nerve. But if he doesn’t have a good feeling about that guy coming back… let us know if he starts bothering you, okay?”

“Yeah, no one bothers our Kwannie,” Mingyu added, patting the top of the blond’s head, making him scrunch up his nose.

“Boo Seungkwan Protection Squad,” Wonwoo said with a bright grin, swatting at Mingyu’s hand. Seungkwan started to fix his hair, smiling lightly when he saw Mingyu slide his hand into Wonwoo’s comfortably .

“Thanks, but really, he isn’t bothering me. I’ve actually talked to him and he seems nice enough. It’s not a big deal.” If the elders noticed the blush on Seungkwan’s face, they decided to ignore it. They wished him a good day as they made their way out of the store once a new customer entered. Seungkwan greeted her politely, ignoring the heavy feeling in his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know how I’m doing! It’s been such a long time since I’ve worked on a real chaptered story.


	3. Chapter 3

“Oh! Seokmin!” He heard behind him. Seokmin smiled at Jisoo when he turned around. “I’m not up on Jihoon’s floor today but when you go up, you can let him know, too; Jeonghan wants to have a housewarming party. It’s Saturday, if you guys are interested.”

“Heck yes we’re interested. Man, we haven’t gotten together in so long! Want me to text Soonyoung?” Seokmin asked, readjusting the snack bag on his arm.

Jisoo beamed, “That would be lovely. Hannie is inviting his friends, and I love them, of course, but it’s be nice to have a few of my own too, ya know?”

“Definitely. You can text me the details?”

“Yes! I gotta get back now, but I’m glad I caught you. Tell Jihoonie hi for me!” Jisoo bid farewell, waving as he made his way back to the main desk.

“Talk to you later!” Seokmin called after his friend before turning back to the elevator.

He absentmindedly hummed a song he’d forgotten the name of as he went up to the fourth floor. The route was getting unfortunately familiar to Seokmin. He sent a bright smile to all the nurses at the station when the doors opened, receiving shuffled papers and chart exchanges in return. Seokmin chuckled to himself before walking down the hall.

He moved the bag to his other arm and pushed through the door to Jihoon’s room.

“Howdy Jihoonie, oh-” Seokmin looked to the bed, seeing his friend dozing. He tiptoed to the bedside table to place the crinkly plastic bag down as quietly as possible (see: not quietly at all). And then a box of animal crackers fell on the floor. Jihoon stirred, definitely awake at that point. “Sorry, sorry,” Seokmin started and picked up the box, “I tried to be quiet, but I’m me so we both know that’s kind of hard.”

Jihoon just blinked, eyes unfocused, “Seokmin?” he asked, still not looking at him; his gaze lingered at the wall in front of him.

“Yeah, man, it’s me. What’s up? Are you okay?” Seokmin asked, concern oozing into his words.

Jihoon finally looked to the side to meet Seokmin. His hands were clenching the sheets in tight fists. “I’m just… dizzy, I guess. What time is it?”

Seokmin furrowed his brow, but pulled up his sleeve to check his watch. “It’s a little after two. I went to the shop with Soonyoung this morning… seriously, Hoon, you don’t look so good.”

“Two? It was just...” Jihoon trailed off as Seokmin made his way to the bedside.

“Hoon, I’m going to go get a nurse, you’re kinda scaring me-”

“Min, trash can.”

“What?”

“Give me the trash can!”

“Shit,” Seokmin made a mad grab for the small plastic bin next to the bed to give to Jihoon just as he started gagging. “Shit,” Seokmin repeated, slowly rubbing circles on Jihoon’s back as he threw up. Seokmin decided not to mention how clammy he felt under his hand. Jihoon wretched again so Seokmin pressed the nurse button with his free hand.

“Jesus,” Jihoon groaned, the wave of nausea seemingly subsiding for a moment, “I’m sorry, the room won’t… stop spinning. Sorry-” he said, before retching again.

A nurse came in quickly after, suddenly picking up the pace at the mere sight of Jihoon.

The next few minutes went by in a blur for Seokmin. There were suddenly a mess of hospital employees crowding around the bed, gently, but effectively, moving Seokmin to the side. He heard words being thrown around- blood pressure- anemia- vomiting- possible hemorrhaging--

“Sir?” Seokmin blinked. The nurse in front of him touched his arm lightly. He nodded for her to continue. “You’re Mr. Lee’s friend, right? He’s got signs of internal bleeding. We kept him here for observation, so it’s good that we caught it.” Seokmin felt his heart skip. The nurse was in his eyeline, he couldn’t see Jihoon. “We think it might be in his abdomen, where he got the brunt of the hits so we’re bringing up an ultrasound to see what we’re dealing with. We’re going to give him an IV and see if we can try to stop the bleed. If it doesn’t stop on it’s own, we may have to perform surgery.” Seokmin took a step to the side. It was a lot of information to process. He looked over her shoulder to Jihoon, looking smaller than ever in that hospital bed, pale and sick, looking right back at him with a desperate look in his eye.

“Excuse me, I have to make a call,” Seokmin told the nurse, trying not to be too rude. She let him go and he clicked on the recent contact.

“Nyello?” Always so casual.

“Soonyoung, you have to come to the hospital.”

“Minnie-”

“No. You have to. Jihoon might need surgery. You need to be here.” It was quiet on the line for a few seconds.

“I’m on my way.”

“Room 417. Jisoo is working the main lobby, he can tell you where to go.”

“Okay. God, okay.” Soonyoung replied, voice wavering. Seokmin could hear shuffling over the line. He watched Jihoon still clutch the trash can with shaky hands as a nurse stuck a needle into the crook of his elbow. Seokmin let his feet move him back towards his friend’s side. “See you in a bit… Tell him I’m sorry,” Soonyoung finished just before hanging up.

“He’s coming?”

“Yeah,” Seokmin replied, hand returning to Jihoon’s back. “Yeah, he’s coming.”

* * *

“Don’t forget the hat, Hansol!” Mrs. Boo called from the back room. Hansol huffed, making Seungkwan chuckle before tossing him his ballcap.

“The apron and hat are part of the uniform, Hansol. Especially for deliveries,” Seungkwan teased, mimicking his mother.

“Get bent, Kwan.”

“Rude!”

“Be back in a bit,” and Hansol walked out the door with his deliveries delicately placed into a large box.

“Everything okay, honey?”

“Yeah, Eomma,” he replied with a sigh. His mother came up behind him at the register and pressed a quick kiss to the crown of his head.

“Is Hansol okay? He seems kinda off the last few days I’ve seen him,” she asked.

Seungkwan wrinkled his nose, “Yeah, I’ve noticed too. He never gives me a straight answer when I ask if he’s okay.” She hummed.

“It’s not like him to not tell you what’s going on.”

“I know,” he frowned, “I can’t help but feel like… maybe I did something.”

“No, baby, no way,” his mom consoled, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “He’d tell you. He always tells you.”

“I mean, I hope so.” _I really hope so-_ he wished to himself.

* * *

“He came back. People don’t really become regulars where we work, you know? Cheol, he gives me a bad feeling,” Hansol stated, exasperated. He cradled his phone between his cheek and his shoulder, stopped in front of the first delivery scheduled for his day. “He seems off.”

“It sounds like you’re jealous, bro.” Hansol made a noise of protest but Seungcheol continued. “Are you jealous because Seungkwan might be branching out and making friends other than you or are you jealous because this guy might be romantically interested in Seungkwan and you’ve been in love with him since you both were six?”

“Stop, I am not in _love_ with him-“

“In _like_ with him?”

“In _nothing_ with him, Seungcheol, please! He’s my best friend and I don’t want to see him get hurt.”

“Yeah. _And_ you want to kiss his face.” Hansol groaned in response to the teasing. “But for real. I know how you feel about him. You can’t pretend with me. What’s the harm in telling him?”

Hansol was quiet for a moment, before replying in a low voice, “He doesn’t feel the same. What’s the point?” He asked in a whisper into the receiver.

“I don’t know, being honest? He’s you’re best friend and it might make you feel better to actually acknowledge the feelings. Or you can not tell him and let those feelings fester until you inevitably sabotage any future relationship you may have.”

“That’s a bit extreme don’t you think?” Hansol sputtered.

“Did that not happen with Wonwoo and Mingyu a year ago?”

“But they both actually had feelings for each other!”

“Hansol. My advice is and always will be proper communication. No one can read minds, okay? Even if he doesn’t feel the same, he’ll know how to talk to you about it; how to talk you through it. Now, not to be an ass, but I gotta go. Mingyu just dropped a whole oil tray on the floor.”

Hansol chuckled half heartedly as he heard the distant yelling before Seungcheol hung up.

“I’m so fucked,” Hansol said to the roof of the van. He took a few moments before climbing out to grab the bouquet of daffodils to deliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some things just happened naturally and I’m sticking to it now. Feel free to yell at me in the comments :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, more Mama Boo smooches in this chapter because I’m projecting how much I wish I could kiss Seungkwan’s face.

Soonyoung entered the room like a storm blowing over trees and powerlines. Seokmin was sat on the single chair near the bed and startled when the door slammed open.

“Jihoon-” Soonyoung started, breathless.

“Soonyoungie,” Jihoon croaked. His tough guy facade melted away as Soonyoung quickly found his place on the edge of the bed.

“They just let us know. They’ll be back in a few minutes to prep for surgery,” Seokmin said quietly, hands fidgeting in his lap. He watched in silence as Soonyoung started to reach out to Jihoon, but stopped short. Seokmin suddenly felt like he was intruding. He could feel himself fade a bit into the background as his friends held a tense gaze. The flood gates had opened. Seokmin had to swallow hard, seeing both of them with red rimmed eyes.

“I’m sorry, Jihoon. I’m so sorry,” his voice cracked and tears threatened to fall. “I’m sorry…” he finally reached out. His hands were on Jihoon’s biceps, so gently as if he was going to break.

“Soonyoung, please…”

“No. No, it’s all my fault and then I was too scared to come here because you probably hate me and I couldn’t bear to lose you but it’s even worse now-”

“Soonyoung,” Jihoon said firmly, making Soonyoung stop with a hiccup. “Look at me.” He did. “I mean it when I say this, okay?” Soonyoung felt his heartbeat drumming in his ears. “From the bottom of my heart... you’re an idiot.”  
Soonyoung tore his hands from Jihoon like he touched a hot stove and looked down to his lap.   
Jihoon just let out a choked laugh before continuing, “I mean it. I really do. You are the biggest moron if you think I wouldn’t do everything in my power to protect you.”   
Soonyoung snapped his eyes back up in surprise just as Jihoon reaches for his hand again. “What?!” Soonyoung blurted, snapping his gaze back to Jihoon and his earnest expression. He felt Jihoon’s clammy hands connect with his own.

Time felt frozen. Seokmin bit his lip, trying to disappear further as Jihoon caressed each of Soonyoung’s fingers carefully.

“You know me. You know I’m not, like, outwardly sentimental or mushy or... romantic, Soon, but you bring it out of me. You know I love flowers and you know which snacks remind me of home and you know that I get cuddly when I’m tired. I... I like you. I don’t really try to hide it, but I’m a private person, you know that. But, I do. I do like you. I was never going to just leave you to fend for yourself in that bar. I didn’t think twice about getting in there so don’t blame yourself,” Jihoon finished his speech. There was a tense pause while Soonyoung stared at Jihoon. His brow was furrowed and his eyes welled, but so did Jihoon’s.   
  
“I am an idiot,” he finally responded, catching Jihoon off guard. “I’m sorry I doubted… this. And that I didn’t come sooner. And I’m sorry that it’s taken me this long…”

Seokmin definitely felt like he was holding breath at that moment. He was studying his hands in his lap, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Soonyoung reach out to cradle Jihoon’s cheek. Soonyoung held his eyes steady on Jihoon for a bit too long, causing Jihoon to sigh and pull Soonyoung down by the collar of his jacket, “Come on,” he whispered.

Soonyoung let out a laugh despite his glassy eyes before pressing a hurried kiss to Jihoon’s lips.

His friends definitely forgot Seokmin was there. It didn’t seem like the appropriate time to yell ‘ _finally_ ’ at them so he stayed mum.

“Mr. Lee-” all three jumped at the voice. The blushing nurse just cleared her throat and smiled meekly at the doorway. “Sorry for interrupting,” she said gently. “But we have to get Mr. Lee ready for surgery. Your… friends can stay in the room until we have to take you to the operation room.”

“Thanks,” Jihoon replied, kind of dazed. Soonyoung reached out and squeezed Jihoon’s hand before getting off the bed.

“You better come back to me, okay?” Soonyoung told him. The nurse came further into the room to look at Jihoon’s IV. “I have a whole lot more to say to you.”

“And do?” Jihoon asked, wiggling his eyebrow. The nurse snorted.

“Please, spare me,” Seokmin interjected.

It didn’t take long after that for Jihoon to be deemed ready.

“We’ll be here when you get out of surgery. I got ahold of the others too, and we’re going to smother you with our love and affection when you’re healed,” Seokmin told Jihoon, squeezing his wrist gently.

“If any of you kiss me, you’ll die. Except you Soonyoung. Obviously,” Jihoon joked weakly. Soonyoung started to cry again, but kissed Jihoon before they took him down the hall.

Seokmin threw his arm around his friend and let him whimper into his shoulder. “Let’s go sit, Loverboy,” he said gently, leading him to the waiting area. Jisoo met them in the hall.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner, I just got on break,” he apologized. Seokmin let Soonyoung go and Jisoo immediately wrapped Soo young in a hug. “Don’t worry too much, Soon, it’s a pretty standard procedure and Dr. Bang is a great surgeon.”

“I know, I’m sure he is, but I just feel guiltier than ever. He said it’s not my fault but it still feels like it is,” he mumbled into Jisoo, “And we only just briefly talked about a very important thing before he got wheeled into where he may possibly _die_ on the operating table-“

“He’s not going to die. It’s Jihoon; he’ll survive purely to spite the guys that beat him up,” Seokmin reminded him, making Soonyoung let out a small chuckle.

He plopped down into one of the cushioned benches and put his face into his hands.

“Should I have told him I love him? Was it clear I implied it? I should have just said it, right?”

“I think he knows, you kissed him even though he vomited like three times,” Seokmin appeased.

“I was not aware of that, but okay-“

“I didn’t even know you guys were talking!” Jisoo exclaimed, “That’s so great!”

“I wouldn’t say talking, I’d say it was more like mutual pining and obliviousness,” Seokmin teased.

“Ah, my favorite trope-“

“Can we please focus here?” Soonyoung yelled exasperatedly.

“Oh my god, guys,” Chan greeted in a rush, “how are you, hyung? How is Jihoon?” he asked, already pulling him up into a hug. Jun was right behind him, looking anxious and ready for a hug, too. Seokmin threw an arm over his shoulder.

“Minghao is still in class, but he said he’ll come as soon as he can, too,” Jun added quietly.

“Does he need someone to pick him up? I have my bike.” Seokmin asked. Soonyoung looked up, eyes glassy and Seokmin gave him a reassuring nod.

* * *

“I’m headed back to the greenhouse, my love,” Mrs. Boo told her son before peppering his cheeks with small kisses.

“Must you do this every time we part mother?” he teased.

“Yes!” she exclaimed, making Seungkwan giggle.

“I’ll see you at home tonight, love you,” she called, already walking away.

Almost as soon as his mother left out the back door, Seungkwan heard a rumbling noise at the store front. He looked up, expecting to see Hansol pulling up in the van, but instead he saw a motorcycle pulling into their small parking lot.

“No way…” he mumbled to himself. He looked back at the decorative mirror on the wall to fix his messy hair and quickly smoothed out his apron to make himself look more presentable just in case it was the off chance it really was the tall, mysterious sunflower guy again. He knew it was just wishful thinking, but the bells chimed and there he was. Seungkwan swore he could hear angels singing when the sunlight that streamed through the front windows hit his golden skin.

“Well, hello again-” Seungkwan started, but cut himself short when he finally saw the look on the other’s face. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?” He asked, taking a step closer to him.

He looked up to meet Seungkwan’s gaze, his eyes a bit bloodshot and his cheeks blotched pink. “Oh, yeah. I’m just...I’m on my way to pick up my friend to go back to the hospital. Our friend is in surgery right now.” His voice wavered, “It was super sudden and I didn’t even really process that until I was on the road and I had to stop-”

“Oh my god, no, it’s okay,” Seungkwan spluttered, seeing the man’s eyes well. “I am so sorry about your friend, I really hope they’ll be okay,” he consoled and put his hand on the man’s shoulder. His eyes met Seungkwan’s once more. Seungkwan felt frozen. The sunflower guy’s soft brown eyes may have been teary, but they were still as friendly and inviting as he remembered before.

Without really thinking at all, Seungkwan pulled him in with his other hand and embraced him. The man let out small surprised breath, but after a moment, Seungkwan felt arms wrap around him, too.

* * *

Hansol dropped his hand from the door. He swallowed hard before turning away from the storefront and got back into the van.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive been watching too much greys anatomy


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing a new main character this chapter! Sorry for all the angst by the way, I'm more surprised than anybody.

Seokmin sighed into the shorter man’s shoulder. He realized his grip was too tight on the worker’s shirt and he jumped back. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, that was incredibly inappropriate.”

“Why are you sorry? You looked like you needed a hug so I gave you one,” he tried to console.

“Yeah, yeah, but it was still too much,” Seokmin said, running his hand anxiously through his felled hair, effectively mussing it up, “I’m okay, I have to go pick up Minghao-“ he turned to leave, but Seungkwan reached out and hooked his fingers around the sleeve of Seokmin’s jacket. 

“Wait!” Seokmin just blinked at him, complying. “Just… wait a second. I know we don’t know each other, I don’t even know your name, but-“

“Seokmin.”

“Seokmin,” Seungkwan repeated, a smile brightening up his face. Seokmin swore he felt the breath leave his lungs at the sight. “Let me do something to help. You like flowers, right? You’ve been coming in here…” he drifted off while pulling Seokmin with him to the back room.

“I’m definitely not supposed to be back here,” Seokmin thought out loud.

Seungkwan let out a chuckle, “It’s my family’s shop, Seokmin, it’s really okay,” he explained, finally letting go of Seokmin, “Here!” 

Before he could even process the situation, Seokmin found a crown of weaved flowers and greenery on his head. “What’s… this?”

“A flower crown. My eomma and I were making them earlier for an order and I am giving one to you. Because… you like flowers… I didn’t think this 100% through. A habit of mine,” he laughed nervously, “but at least you’re smiling.”

Seokmin didn’t even realize he was. Just looking at Seungkwan’s blushing face gave him a particular flutter in his stomach. He was pretty sure he was fucked. 

“It totally worked,” Seokmin said, taking in Seungkwan’s reciprocating smile. He also had a habit of not thinking things through and reached past the worker to grab another off the counter. He didn’t know the names of the flowers but the delicate pinks and whites brought out a rosy glow in Seungkwan when he plopped it on his head. “Cute,” he sighed. 

Seungkwan’s eyes widened at the statement, making Seokmin realize what he had said. He cleared his throat in a haste. 

“Sorry. Forget I said that. Thank you for the crown-“ he reached into his pocket and practically threw a handful of money at the florist. “Hao is probably wondering where I am. Thank you, I’m sorry!” And he pretty much ran out of the store, leaving a spluttering Seungkwan behind. 

Seokmin felt like his heart was beating a mile a minute and it had nothing to do with his mild sprint to his bike.

He held a hand to his chest. “Control yourself, Seokmin you idiot, focus,” he took a deep breath. He needed to go get Minghao and go back to Jihoon. The boy at the flower shop was a nice distraction and his gestures were sweet, but he couldn’t think about that.

He gently took the crown off his head and put it into his side storage. 

* * *

Hansol ignored the look Mingyu sent to Wonwoo as he pulled the van into the auto lot. 

Seungcheol was out of the shop to greet him when he climbed out of the driver’s seat, meaning one of the others must have called him out. He really must have looked distressed.

“Hey-” Hansol cut his brother off before he could say anything by smashing into him for a hug. “Oh, Sol.”

“It’s fine. I’m fine,” he said against Seungcheol’s chest. 

“I know you’re lying because my shirt is wet,” he replied, wrapping his arms tightly around Hansol. He nodded to the others and Mingyu grabbed Wonwoo’s hand to pull him back inside. Wonwoo frowned deeply, seeing Hansol look so small in his brother’s arms. 

“I have to talk to him. I know I do. If there is any off chance he might be willing to…” Hansol let out a shaky sigh, “If I tell him, I can get over him. He’s my best friend. He’s a good best friend. He just needs to stay my best friend.”

“I’m sorry, Hansollie.”

“Sunflower boy.”

“Sounds like a real threat,” Seungcheol tried to joke lightly. 

Hansol let out a small breath of laughter, “You really wouldn’t think it.” He let go of Seungcheol and wiped at his eyes roughly. “He was back again. Seungkwan was hugging him.” Seungcheol raised an eyebrow. “Weird, right?”

“Yeah that is… different. Why-”

“I don’t know. Came here. I’m going to text Mrs. Boo and tell her I’m not feeling well. I really don’t want to go back there today…” he said, pulling his phone from his pocket. 

“Hansol, you know I love you, but I can’t let you call off work.”

“She’s very flexible with schedules-”

“Hansol. You have their van.”

“Shit,” Hansol groaned. “Why is the universe doing this to me?”

“Okay, drama queen,” Seungcheol grabbed his shoulders and turned him towards the shop door, “let’s get you looking human again so you can go.”

“Gee, thanks, bro.”

When they walk in, the group of other shop workers look up expectantly from their hushed conversation huddle by the water cooler. “Hey slackers, it’s almost like you don’t care about being paid,” Seungcheol threatened with no real bite in his voice. However, Mingyu, Wonwoo and the others clumsily dispersed back to their stations. “It’s amazing we make any profit.”

“You make a profit?” Hansol teased lightly, “Surprising considering Mingyu works here.”

“I’m right here, you brat.” Mingyu popped his head into the conversation and Hansol let a smile spread across his face.

* * *

“You look a bit rough. You okay?” Minghao greeted once Seokmin pulled to a stop in front of his lecture hall. 

“Just… a lot of stuff going on today,” he answered. 

Minghao didn’t press further, just nodded and said “Yeah.” He knew the implications. He followed the familiar steps to retrieve the extra helmet from the side storage, raising an eyebrow at the soft pink flowers that accompanied it, but didn't question it.He buckled the helmet securely before climbing onto the back of the bike. His hands wound around Seokmin and the rumbling of the bike lulled Minghao into a sense of calmness. Comfort despite the anxiousness he felt just moments before. 

He knew what it looked like, two guys in the biker get ups, speeding away on a motorcycle. He knew he got looks from his classmates, but he couldn’t even pretend to care. Minghao couldn’t help but feel somewhat nostalgic everytime he remembered being welcomed by Jun and his group of friends right after coming to Korea, including Jihoon. He was blunt and could be abrasive, but behind the tough exterior was a good friend. 

Minghao sighed and laid his head against Seokmin’s back and tried to think of anything else as Seokmin drove them to the hospital. 

Soonyoung greeted him with a bone-crushing hug. Jun had texted him a synopsis of the whole Soon-and-Hoon finally getting together, and Minghao was glad, he really was. But what terrible circumstances. He didn’t dwell. I always tried not to dwell. 

Jun offered him a small smile, to which he returned, really unsure as to why. Things settled quickly between the boys and Minghao found himself sandwiched between Soonyoung and Chan in the uncomfortable plastic chairs, Seokmin and Jun sitting across from them. They spoke quietly about nothing to pass the time, Joshua coming by when he could for updates. Soonyoung spread his body across a few chairs after a while and had his head in Minghao’s lap. He felt Soonyoung relax as he ran his fingers through his color damaged hair.

However, Minghao was itching in his own skin while they waited, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly why. He didn’t feel right. 

He looked to Jun, an action that would usually help ease his worry. He watched Jun try and lighten everyone’s solemn mood by being his normal goofy self, but it didn’t lessen the tightness in Minghao’s chest. Not the way it used to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minghao! Must be a level 10 or above to unlock that tragic backstory. 
> 
> Sorry for taking forever to write and post this chapter, when I started my new job (!!!) I thought I'd have some time to write. I also have 3 other WIPs because I'm garbage and I'm trying to do too much. But I'm working on everything! Slowly but surely! 
> 
> Kudos and Comments are so appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me one million years to post this; I've had it ready for a while, I'm just terrible.

Hansol returned to the van after his brother distracted him and practically force-fed him tea and muffins they usually served in the waiting area. He blasted some Kanye West to keep his mind off the impending interaction when he returned to the shop. 

He felt an uneasy deja vu when he turned off the engine and approached the door. Luckily, this time, Seungkwan, adorned with a flower crown, was talking to a smiling granny instead of a tall, handsome stranger. 

He gave them both a bright smile when the chimes rang when he came inside. The granny greeted him kindly as he made his way behind the register and Seungkwan shot him a confused glance, head cocked to the side. He could always read Hansol too well. 

Seungkwan joined him behind the counter to ring up the bouquet of bright blues and yellows for the granny and the second the door closed behind her, he turned to Hansol, determined. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he shrugged. Cowardly. 

“You’re lying,” his eyes narrowed, “I can usually tell, you know. What’s going on?” Hansol had too much time left in his shift to get into that conversation right at that moment.

“I saw someone hit a bunny on my way back,” he lied, “it was traumatizing.” Seungkwan frowned deeply. 

“That poor baby,” he replied, his bottom lip sticking out in a pout and Hansol wanted to kiss it away. “I’m sorry, Sollie.”

“I’ll pull through. Anything fun happen while I was out?”

“I don’t know about fun,” he sighed, seemingly content with Hansol’s explanation, “but Seokmin came in again- the sunflower boy-” Hansol ignored the sinking feeling in his stomach “I talked to him for a bit. He was super out of it, he told me his friend was in surgery. Gosh, he looked so torn up about it so I gave him a hug. He bought a flower crown, sort of,” Hansol raised an eyebrow but let him continue, “He had to leave to pick up his other friend but,” Seungkwan leaned in close to whisper, a blush already forming on his plump cheeks, “he put this one on me and called me cute before, like, running out of here!” Seungkwan giggled and Hansol put on a brave face, laughing with him.

“Shit, Seungkwan, sounds like this one may be the real deal.”

“I don’t know, Sol,” he shrugged, still smiling softly, “he’s just really nice. I like it when he comes in.” 

“It seems like he likes coming in, too,” he swallowed hard, putting up a good front, “still seems like a miscreant.” Seungkwan burst out into laughter and smacked Hansol’s arm. 

“Sure, sure, I know. He’s a hooligan. Rides a motorcycle and wears biker gear. Oh wait, that’s your brother!” he teased, and Hansol felt like he could breathe a little easier.

“I never said Cheol wasn’t a hooligan!” he jabbed back.

“I’m pretty sure you own at least three leather jackets, too.”

“That doesn’t mean anything!” 

“Mmm,” Seungkwan hummed. “Oh, by the way, that granny was asking about that Handsome American Boy when she came in. I think the ajummas have been talking about you around the neighborhood,” he teased. 

Hansol flushed red, but countered with, “I can’t help it if the grannies think I’m charming and handsome, Seungkwan, I don’t know how not to be.”

“Oh my god, shut up!”

The conversation somewhat dissipated from there, the two of them falling into their usual work routine. They stocked and swept and sang songs that came on the radio when business was slow; Hansol kept an eye on the clock, biding his time before he could sprint out of there when his shift was over. 

He waited until exactly 7:55pm to muster all his courage. A soft song played over the speakers, Hansol recognizing it as an OST but couldn’t remember from what show. He could hear Seungkwan singing along with it. 

“Seungkwan,” he interrupted, trying to ignore the shakiness in his voice. Seungkwan stopped singing to look over to Hansol with his bright eyes. He hummed in response, so Hansol continued. “I have to talk to you about something important. I know we’re at work but I’m off in five minutes so I’m going to use that as my escape route once I say what I need to say.”  
  
“Hansol, you’re scaring me,” he replied, putting his stock down to turn his full attention to Hansol. 

“I know, and I’m sorry, but I can’t just shove down this… stuff anymore.” Hansol knew this was it. Floodgates opened. His hands were shaking, he noticed, but if he stopped, he’d never be able to get it out. He focused on the floor, balled his hands into fists, and continued, “I know how this is going to go but you need to know because I can’t keep hearing you gush and, and-”

“Hansol-”

“Seungkwan, I like you. Not the best friend kind of like, but the practically-in-love, like,” Hansol could feel him want to say something, but he pushed through, “No, let me finish, please. At first, I thought it was just normal, friend feelings; wanting to always be near you, hearing your voice and your laugh. I let it fester too long and I’m getting hurt and jealous, even though I have no right to be because you’re not mine. You like that Seokmin guy. And you’re allowed to, because you… I didn’t bring it up earlier. I… yeah, that’s it, I think. I just needed to… you know.” He turned away, being unable to look in Seungkwan’s direction, ready to bolt out the door.

“Hansol, please wait!” Seungkwan exclaimed, but Hansol had no intention to stick around. It posed an issue, then, when Seungkwan jumped on him from behind. They tumbled to the floor since he wasn’t really prepared to catch his airborne friend. 

“Jeez, Kwannie,” Hansol huffed, “What the hell?”

“ _ Me _ what the hell?  _ You _ what the hell! You were running away from me and I panicked. Honestly, an impressive feat strength on my part if you ask me. Like a mother lifting a car off her baby-”

“Get off.” Seungkwan didn’t move. “Dude!”

“No, not if you’re going to just run away. You cannot just drop this bomb on me and not expect me to want to talk it through. We are still best friends. And we are adults, so we are going to talk like adults, okay?”

“Asks the guy sitting on me.”  
  
“Hansol.”

“Fine.”  
  
And that’s how they ended up sitting cross legged on the floor in the middle of the flower shop.

* * *

The first thing Jihoon felt was a wave of nausea and it woke him up fully, but he also felt weighed down and groggy. He let the nausea pass before opening his eyes.

He was greeted with a “Good morning, handsome,” from his bedside and he was smiling before he even looked over to Soonyoung. “How are you feeling?” Jihoon took him in, looking exhausted but with a rosy glow and gentle eyes.

“Like shit,” he answered easily, making Soonyoung smile softly. “M’ glad you’re here.”

In lieu of verbally giving Jihoon a response, Soonyoung hopped up and grabbed Jihoon’s face as softly as he could before unabashedly pressing a sloppy kiss against his lips. Jihoon responded as best he could in a bit of a daze and ended up giggling.

“You stink, you know?”

“Oh yeah?” Soonyoung asked with a laugh, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, “you’re no bed of roses yourself. I fell asleep in a hospital waiting room using bony Minghao as a pillow. What’s your excuse?”

“Internal bleeding?”

“Oh my god,” Soonyoung replied, but smiling fondly. He grabbed Jihoon’s hand to play with his fingers. He let just a beat of comfortable silence pass before following with, “I love you.” 

Jihoon heard the heart monitor speed up but pointedly ignored it and ignored how Soonyoung was smiling at him like  _ that _ . “Am I still under the knife? I’m not sure if this is real. Can you believe the unrequited love of my life just confessed to me? I’m pretty sure I’m still in a drug induced dream-”

“Jihoonie, you are very much awake and I am very much in love with you and did you just say love of your life-”

“Oh, Mr. Lee! You’re awake!” the nurse he recognized from before they put him under said, coming into the room. She really needed to stop interrupting them. “I’ll grab the doctor to double check everything, but I need to check your vitals really quickly.” Jihoon nodded and instantly regretted it since Soonyoung took that as a reason to let go of his hand and go back to his seat. 

“Where are the others?” Jihoon asked Soonyoung as the nurse looked through his monitors.

“I made them go home after, like, an hour after you got out of surgery? We knew you were fine and it had been a while and I honestly couldn’t stand looking at a sad Seokmin any longer,” he explained, “they’re hopefully catching up on sleep.”

“Oh? What time is it?”

“Uh, around 5am I think?”

“What? Like 5am meaning it’s Monday?”

“Well, yeah, Jihoonie, you weren’t exactly taking a nap,” Soonyoung joked, making Jihoon pout. 

“Did you actually get sleep? You could have gone home, too, I’m clearly fine-”

“I spent too much time away as it is, idiot, I wasn’t going to leave,” Soonyoung told him firmly, making Jihoon smile. 

The nurse cleared her throat next to him like the angel she was because he clearly forgot she was there. “Everything is looking good Mr. Lee. Dr. Bang will be in to check the incision and Dr. Kim should be around later this morning to go over everything.” He nodded in response as she walked towards the door. “Oh!” she stopped short, “we didn’t have your parents’ phone number on file so we weren’t able to contact them-”

“That’s okay, there’s no need,” he cut her off quickly, “thank you.” she nodded curtly before leaving. Jihoon looked back to Soonyoung. He was frowning deeply and Jihoon didn’t care for that at all. “It’s fine,” he assured Soonyoung, “hey, can you come back over here? I don’t want to think about anything right now besides going back to sleep.” Soonyoung relented easily. He crawled into the bed, extra careful to avoid touching any damaged part of Jihoon, settling to hold his hand next to their hips, his face nuzzling into his shoulder, and eyes fluttering closed. 

“So, you love me,” Soonyoung stated matter-of-factly.

“Like, a lot, actually. You love me, too, though,” Jihoon answered after letting out a snort of laughter. 

“So, so much,” Soonyoung sighed into Jihoon’s arm. “Do you want to be my boyfriend?”

“What do you think?”

“Doesn’t hurt to just double check. We don’t have the best track record with communication-”

“Shut up and go to sleep,” he said, letting a moment pass before adding, “boyfriend.” Jihoon decided he wouldn’t mind falling asleep to the sounds of Soonyoung’s laughter forever. 

“Sleep tight.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos are much appreciated :)
> 
> Find me (xxu-hao) and Sven (muffin-me) on tumblr!


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